These standmounters continue to set the standard at the price
Passive speakers View online review whf.cm/LS50Meta
KEF launched the LS50 in 2012, and they have proved a huge success in the past decade, thanks to a combination of sound quality, build and aesthetics that remains highly appealing today. That hasn’t stopped the company’s engineers from having a fresh look, though – resulting in the LS50 Meta.
KEF’s Uni-Q driver array has been thoroughly reworked for the Meta, taking in the refinements KEF has developed over the past few years and, crucially, adding MAT (Metamaterial Absorption Technology). Here, the rearward sound feeds into a puck-sized plastic circular maze, which KEF claims absorbs a wide range of frequencies much more effectively than alternative methods. The result should be cleaner, less distorted highs.
Aside from a slight shift in crossover frequency – from 2.2kHz to 2.1kHz – the specification looks identical to the previous model. These aren’t particularly sensitive speakers, at a rated 85dB/W/m, and the minimum impedance is just 3.5 ohms, so it makes sense to partner them with an amplifier that has a bit of grunt, such as the Cambridge Audio CXA81 integrated, with a suitably capable source. Such are the LS50 Meta’s capabilities though, you could easily use the likes of the Naim SuperNait 3, and the speakers wouldn’t be limiting.
Delicacy and precision
It doesn’t take long to realise that the LS50 have been improved significantly. While the basic sonic character is instantly familiar, the Meta have gained a level of clarity and finesse the originals only hinted at. Listening to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, we are soon marvelling at the LS50 Meta’s delicacy and precision. They sound so much more transparent than before and manage to render low-level details, such as instrumental textures, much more convincingly.
For such compact speakers it’s a surprisingly full-bodied presentation with a good degree of authority. Still, there is only so deep a 13cm magnesium/aluminium mid/bass unit in a smallish cabinet can go. Stretch to the larger KEF R3 Meta (£1899) and you get notably more in the way of low-frequency reach and punch – but also lose just a touch of the LS50’s cohesive nature.
It seems the Metamaterial tech really works. These
